Plan tweaked for housing program

The Northern Tier Community Action Corporation, as designated by the Elk County Board of Commissioners of Elk County, has been administering the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Grant Program in the amount of $176,810.
According to Richard Gavazzi, housing specialist for Elk County, Northern Tier Community Action will provide homelessness prevention services to Elk County residents who are at risk of becoming homeless and to rapidly re-house newly homeless individuals and families who are homeless as defined by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
The funds have been utilized within four specific categories: financial assistance, housing relocation (stabilization services by homeless prevention and homeless assistance), data collection and administration.
"After careful review, it has been determined by the Northern Tier Community Action Corporation as the administering agent and Elk County as the grantee through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development [DCED] that a revised budget was needed in order to continue to adequately disburse the specified grant funding," Gavazzi said. "Northern Tier Community Action's experience with this particular program has shown that the biggest portion of assistance needed was in rental assistance.
"The revised budget request would include transferring a large portion of the remaining program funding into this line item and reducing all of the other assistance line items."
The change reflects both a current need and a projected future need for consumers in need of rental assistance.